The present invention relates to a device environment configuration systems and methods, and to data storage media for recording the same.
By using a standard application programming interface (API) to develop a software application providing Point-Of-Sale (POS) system functions, multifunction POS systems can be assembled without specifically considering the specific makes and models of devices that are used to configure the POS system. OPOS is an international standard defining a standardized interface for handling devices, such as printers and displays, used in POS terminals (hereinafter POS terminal systems) of a POS system. An OPOS standard object (hereinafter OPOS) uses Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) controls, which are supported by the Windows (a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.) operating system (OS) running on the host devices of the POS system, to provide application developers with a set of API functions that make application development easier.
Information needed to use OPOS can include information about all of the devices in the POS terminal system and settings for all of the devices (hereinafter OPOS device environment configuration settings). This information is stored in a database (hereinafter the registry) of system configuration information managed by the Windows operating system (hereinafter OS). This registry is a database for centrally managing the settings related to computer operation, including all device driver settings and application settings. Information including a device identifier and various settings stored in the registry as part of the OPOS device environment configuration settings is referred to below as the “device information” or the device profile. In other words, the OPOS device environment configuration settings can include “device information” for each device in the system configuration. The OPOS device environment configuration settings can also include “user information” such as the name of the folder/directory where OPOS is stored or installed.
A typical POS system for a retail store consists of one or more POS terminal systems. To assemble a POS terminal system in a retail store, it is first necessary to develop the POS application. The POS application can be developed by installing OPOS on the host computer (hereinafter developer PC) used for POS terminal system development, inputting the OPOS device environment configuration settings required for OPOS operation, and then developing a software application on the developer PC that provides the various functions of the retail POS terminal system. Thereafter, it is necessary to duplicate the finished application, OPOS, and OPOS device environment configuration settings on the host computer (hereinafter client PC) of each POS terminal system in the retail store.
To replicate the OPOS and OPOS device environment configuration settings that are installed and stored on the developer PC on the client PCs, it has conventionally been necessary to install OPOS and input the OPOS device environment configuration settings on each of the client PCs in much the same way OPOS was installed and the settings were entered on the developer PC. In other words, the tasks which were performed on the developer PC, such as the task of installing OPOS and the task of storing OPOS device environment configuration settings in the client PC registry for the devices in the particular POS terminal system, must be repeated for each retail POS terminal system in the store's POS system. Thus, conventionally, OPOS is installed to all client PCs through the user interface, specific device information is entered using the same user interface, and the OPOS device environment configuration settings are stored to the registry based on the device information input for each individual client PC. Unfortunately, this can be a time-consuming task.
POS terminal system developers have also developed proprietary installation utilities. These proprietary installation utilities can duplicate the software applications developed on the developer PC together with the necessary OPOS and OPOS device environment configuration settings on each of the client PCs in the POS system. However, development of utility software takes time and money.
The OPOS device environment configuration settings used on the developer PC can also be duplicated on each of the client PCs using a registry editor utility provided by the operating system, such as the “regedit.exe” registry editor utility provided by Windows. However, such techniques can only be performed by knowledgeable users. For example, because the registry is a central database of system configuration information that is managed directly by the OS, inappropriately changing registry content could also render the OS, applications, or devices unusable and/or interfere with normal operation. Inadvertently changing data other than the OPOS device environment configuration settings could also cause problems with the system.